Esencia - the roots of flamenco

She is known for productions such as Mi Carmen Flamenca or Torera, which she has performed on international stages as well as in the Cervantes theatre in Malaga. Dancer Úrsula Moreno, who comes from a traditional flamenco family, is about to fulfil a long-cherished dream by opening a flamenco theatre in Malaga. Ever since she started working with her husband, guitarist Antonio Andrade, she had wanted to open her own theatre in her native Malaga. But in the early 1990s, Andrade, who was born in Puebla de Cazalla (Seville) and grew up near Stuttgart, Germany, felt that the city was not the right place for this project.

"Back then, Malaga was not attractive, had hardly any cultural facilities and little tourism," he recalls. Later, when the city experienced its cultural boom, it was difficult to find suitable, centrally located premises. So they opened their first flamenco theatre in Madrid in 2017 and another in Seville four years later.

But now Moreno's wish is finally coming true. Thanks to an agreement with the Teatro Club, an enchanting stage venue with Art Nouveau elements, they will open their flamenco theatre in Malaga city centre on 25 December. Moreno will be the artistic director and will also perform on stage twice a week.

After years of intensive touring, the two artists from Antonio Andrade's ensemble now want to take a step back.

"Last year was extremely intense, we were on tour between April and October - in Germany, Austria, Australia, Germany again and China," says the guitarist.

And although there are plans to perform again in Oman next year, where they enjoyed success twice in 2022 - with Carmen and a tango flamenco show at the Royal Opera House Muscat - these major tours are slowly coming to an end. "I will continue to tour with my guitar duo and also perform regularly in the other two flamenco theatres, but Úrsula now wants to concentrate more on the theatre here in Malaga.

The dancer, who trained at the Malaga Dance Conservatory and later completed her training in Madrid and Seville, has performed all over the world with her successful productions. Her talent as a dancer, her mastery of all types of flamenco and her ability to convey emotions through dance have earned her the recognition of audiences and critics specialising in flamenco. In addition to her own productions with the Antonio Andrade ensemble, the dancer and choreographer has performed the lead role in the project Homenaje a Carmen (Tribute to Carmen) with the Seville Symphony Orchestra and has also appeared as an actress in films such as La Vida por Encima and La Llave. She has also made a name for herself as a teacher in international flamenco courses, where she shares her extensive knowledge and artistic philosophy with flamenco lovers.

The flamenco theatre in Malaga will offer three shows a day at 5.30pm, 7pm and 8.30pm. The unusually early times for flamenco shows is due to the agreement with Teatro Club, which allows the theatre to be used until 10pm, as the venue is still a nightclub at night.

Andrade sees no disadvantage in this, as 70 per cent of the audience at the other two theatres is made up of international visitors, for whom it is not unusual to attend a cultural event in the late afternoon.

Although the dancers have freedom with their choreographies, there is still a certain structure that the performance must have and Ursula Moreno includes some 'compulsory exercises', such as the dialogue between two dancers.

Five artists (two singers, a guitarist and two dancers) will take to the stage every day for the show in Malaga, entitled Esencia. They come from a pool of 200 flamenco artists that the company has under contract to perform alternately in the three theatres.

Singers Rocío López and David Bastidas and dancers Úrsula Moreno and José Galvañ, accompanied by Antonio Andrade on guitar, will perform at the opening. The show with which Moreno returns to her roots illustrates the essence of flamenco through a journey through different styles such as soleá, seguiriya, alegría and bulería.